Acclaimed for his work with Porcupine Tree, Opeth and Anja Garbarek amongst others, Steven Wilson's debut album Insurgentes has been a long time in the making. Comprising 10 new tracks that range from ballads and anthems... more &raquo to all-out industrial noise assaults, the dark, cinematic and richly textured album represents two years' worth of creative output and numerous recording sessions worldwide in studios from Mexico City to Japan and Israel. While Wilson is a member of several bands including Blackfield, No-Man and Bass Communion, he explains that "when I began writing these songs, I quickly realized that they would be best suited to an album under my own name. It was an intuitive, almost unconscious writing process that resulted in a kind of `poetry of melancholy." Wilson recruited a stellar cast of guests to work on the album including bassist Tony Levin, Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), alongside Japanese Koto player Michiyo Yagi, British guitarist Sand Snowman, and jazz flautist and saxophonist Theo Travis. The final product inhabits a similar experimental realm as recent albums by Thom Yorke, Portishead, and Nine Inch Nails. Product Details: 2 Disc Set (CD + DVDA) / 24 page booklet packaged in a Super jewel case with slipcase&laquo less

Synopsis

Album Description

Acclaimed for his work with Porcupine Tree, Opeth and Anja Garbarek amongst others, Steven Wilson's debut album Insurgentes has been a long time in the making. Comprising 10 new tracks that range from ballads and anthems to all-out industrial noise assaults, the dark, cinematic and richly textured album represents two years' worth of creative output and numerous recording sessions worldwide in studios from Mexico City to Japan and Israel. While Wilson is a member of several bands including Blackfield, No-Man and Bass Communion, he explains that "when I began writing these songs, I quickly realized that they would be best suited to an album under my own name. It was an intuitive, almost unconscious writing process that resulted in a kind of `poetry of melancholy." Wilson recruited a stellar cast of guests to work on the album including bassist Tony Levin, Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), alongside Japanese Koto player Michiyo Yagi, British guitarist Sand Snowman, and jazz flautist and saxophonist Theo Travis. The final product inhabits a similar experimental realm as recent albums by Thom Yorke, Portishead, and Nine Inch Nails. Product Details: 2 Disc Set (CD + DVDA) / 24 page booklet packaged in a Super jewel case with slipcase

CD Reviews

Full-length Solo Debut Pushes Boundaries Further

Hans Gruber | AZ | 02/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Steven Wilson may just be the industry's best kept secret. Despite a multicontextual and multidirectional career which has delved into almost every genre imaginable, even Wilson's most popular of projects remain far-removed from the mainstream. He began his professional career with No-Man, in the sad vein of dreamy synth-pop, and has since gone on to form progressive groundbreaker Porcupine Tree, the dark and always irresistably catchy Blackfield, the psychedelic improv-based I.E.M., and worked with standard-setting bands such as Opeth and King Crimson. While anyone familiar with the above bands knows of Wilson's studio wizardry and multi-instrument proficiency, a solo career under his own name has been limited to a series of CD-R releases of acoustic material and cover songs only available through his web site and some random electronic instrumentals which remain largely obscure. Not anymore.

Insurgentes is his full-length debut, under his own name, and hits the listener as effectively as a well-aimed audio shotgun blast. It delves into every genre Wilson has explored while at the same time expanding on each of them, all the while attaining it's own unique sound with the focus and precision of a laser beam. This is a skill beyond the average musician, leaving the listener to always expect the unexpected. Indeed, the stylistic changes are often within the context of a single track, as Wilson begins "Salvaging" with a simple yet sinister guitar riff complemented by his snarls of "what was the point of making me trust...yeah you make me feel sick..." before dropping out the bottom into a soaring orchestral arrangement worthy of J. Ralph's approval. "Get All That You Deserve" works in the opposite direction as Wilson enters eerily, accompanied by only a piano, before bringing in massive walls of noisy distortion like angry drunks crashing a funeral. He has proven himself a true musical Dr. Frankenstein in his ability to take something beautiful and destroy it, only to resurrect it to even greater heights than before.

Consistency is still an ingredient throughout this madhouse of sonic manipulation, as "Harmony Korine" immediately lends itself to the status of hit single and the nostalgic "Veneno Para Las Hadas" evokes fond memories of Porcupine Tree's "The Sky Moves Sideways" with heart-wrenching beauty. Be wary of this album: it will immediately set the bar higher than anything you've heard this year or even this decade and leave the mark of true musical genius on your auditory lobes by comparatively ruining every other album you hear afterwards."

Artistic and sonic marvel! Best 5.1 recording in history!

Ticos | Grapevine, Texas, USA | 03/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD-Audio 5.1 mix has become the new sonic standard by which all surround recordings should be measured.

From a music perspective there isn't much more to add (Hans Gruber review here is very good), it's Steven Wilson at its creative best - every song is beautifully conceived and executed. But also the music was conceived from scratch in a way that it could really exploit surround sound. I listened to the download of the album for about 12 times before I got this DVD-A. As usual, Steven's songs grow on you with every listen, and you start to understand and enjoy them more over time. However, what makes this album really shine is the 5.1 mix:

1. The sounds balance between the front, center and rear speakers is impeccable2. The album explores the complete spectrum of the human capacity for audio, in many cases all sound frequencies (from very low to very high - almost as high as white noise) are beautifully displayed at the same time!3. Really noisy passages are followed by very quiet and haunting passages, the contrast is mind-numbing and beautiful4. When you play the album out loud, the workout that the subwoofer gets is unbelievable. You better not have glass or breakable objects within distance!

Steven makes a point that in today's iPod generation, the true enjoyment of listening to an album with the right sound quality and fidelity, and enjoying the accompanying artwork has been lost. Downloading individual songs can never transmit the ideas that the artist puts together when creating a concept album. And even though downloads are getting better in terms of better sound quality options, they will never equal the awesome quality that Advanced Resolution surround gives you.

Well, Steven backs up with words with this masterpiece. You can feel the countless number of hours that he spent conceving, writing, playing, mixing and producing the songs. It is pure quality and pure magic.

If you don't have a 5.1 system (DVD-A or DVD-V DTS), go get a good one and play this album. You will be amazed and you will never look at music the same way ever again!"

Holy Atmosphere's Alive Captain!

Russ Bellinger | Bradenton, Florida USA | 03/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Steve Wilson is the first musician alive that successfully and brilliantly brought back the atmospheres of sound originally projected and conceived by Pink Floyd into his own style. There is alot to be said about this achievment. Others have mimicked but fallen short, and there really has never been another band that could really do what Pink Floyd did. There are a lot of dark and scary sounds and mentally projected hallucinations that seemed to come clearer upon repeated listens. And not only did Steve Wilson acheive this major feat, but he also excellently executes alot of the ground achieved by the latter day King Crimson as well. Of course there are also moments of Porcupine Tree (his own band of brilliance) and some of his other projects that have formed "Insurgentes" into a real and true work of art. Steve has learned from all the masters and he has now become one of them. He has, over the last ten years, become one of the most important musicians of our time."

A Musical World Unto Itself

John W. Evans | La Grande, OR United States | 03/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson continues to create what is a musical world unto itself. His highly crafted music evokes images and moods; it is at once powerful and colorful, and often contains tension. Throughout Wilson's career he has pushed his own limits, exploring progressive rock and other musical forms with Porcupine Tree, with his side projects such as Blackfield, and now with his solo album "Insurgentes".

What makes "Insurgentes" such a great disc?

With "Veneno Para Los Hadas" Wilson quotes both Pink Floyd and earlier Porcupine Tree ("The Sky Moves Sideways"). In "No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun" he evokes mid-Seventies King Crimson right down to the vocals and the drumming in places, but throws that mix into the 21st century. The obvious musical references are done extremely well, but what demonstrates the genius of "Insurgentes" is when Wilson quotes from his own Porcupine Tree catalog and it stands with the other bigger-name influences you will hear. While this is undoubtedly not his intent, "Insurgentes" demonstrates that Wilson's music is some of the very best of its kind.

To hear some early Porcupine Tree influences, check out how "Harmony Korine" echoes "Even Less" from Porcupine Tree's magnificent "Stupid Dream" CD from 1999. Musically, you might also hear a bit of "Radioactive Toy" in "Salvaging". Then again, this album's title track (basically a solo piano track with bass koto accompaniment and studio treatment) is something unto itself, as are the wonderfully strange instrumental "Twilight Coda" and instrumental passages in "Get What You Deserve".

With "Insurgentes" Wilson plays most of the instrumental parts, but has some friends along for the ride. Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison is present on much of the album, and Wilson has invited master bassist Tony Levin on board for a few tracks. Dream Theater's keyboardist Jordan Rudess is outstanding on three tracks. One guest highlight is the backing vocals by Clodagh Simmonds on the wonderful "Significant Other"; that is a very fine track, but her presence really makes it fly.

Steven Wilson and his musical endeavors deserve whatever attention they get, because there are not many musicians today who put the time, care and attention to detail into their works as he does. Whether you are a fan of Porcupine Tree's material prior to their major label debut with "In Absentia", a fan of the band's more recent material, or just a Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson fan in general... there is something on this disc for you.

And if you are unfamiliar? Well... let's just say Wilson and Porcupine Tree have one of music's greatest treasure chests of the last 15 years! If you like creative/prog sounds and have not heard this music, lifting the lid may open a whole new world for you! Warning: this stuff is all so good that it is quite easy to get hooked. One Wilson/Porcupine Tree album will inevitably lead you to another.

But this is how it should be!

So download this CD now, or rush out and buy a copy. You will not be disappointed."

Better with every listen...

veeerules | St. Louis, MO USA | 06/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't make the same mistake I did... I bought the mp3 disc. I am now kicking myself, Steven Wilson puts so much effort into the production. Being a Porcupine Tree fan, I should have known better; I am going to have to repurchase the CD/DVD version. (Maybe Amazon should offer FLAC downloads next...)Most popular music these days is produced for the masses. Songs are pretty much meant to be downloaded as singles, Insurgentes is the opposite of this. The album as a whole is a piece of art, and it should be enjoyed as one continuous piece of music. The more I listen to Insurgentes, the more I love it. The contrasts are breathtaking... crescendos into a wall of sound that drops off to a simple piano melody, classical harmonies blended with noises I didn't know the guitar could make...this is not easy listening. If you are a casual music listener, this disc is not for you. On the other hand, if you are a Wilson fan already, and you find that certain music captivates your soul as well as your ears, Insurgentes would be a great part of your collection.I can't wait until the remix disc comes out, it should tide me over until the new PT release this fall!"